Cultivator



Jan. 27,1953 J. STARR I 2,626,547

CULTIVATOR Filed March 20, 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 FIGJ ' S2 INVENTOR. JOHN H. STARR BY 7 r 4 ATTORNEYS J. H. STARR Jan. 27, 1953 CULTIVATOR 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed March 20, 1948 INVENTOR. JOHN H. STARR ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 27, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFic CULTIVATOR Johnji-L Starr, Mayville, Wis., assignor to John Deere Van Brunt, Company, Horicon, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application March 20, 1948, Serial No. 16,047

2 Claims. (01. 97-47) The present invention relates generally to agricultural implements and more particularly to implements that are adapted to be mounted on a tractor to be propelled thereby and controlled by the operator on the tractor.

The object and general nature of the present invention is the provision of an integral ground working tool so constructed and arranged as to be held against lateral shifting relative to the tractor but without interfering with its relatively free vertical movement.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled the art after a consideration of the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side view of the rear portion of a tractor mounted field cultivator in which the principles of the present'invention have been incorporated.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the implement shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary .view, taken along the line 3-3 of Figure. 2', showing the stabilizing linkage and its quick attachable mounting on the tractor drawbar.

Referring now, to the drawings, particularly Figures 1 and 2, the tractor on which the implement of the present invention is mounted is indicated in its entirety by the reference numeral I and so far as the present invention is concerned is largely conventional. The tractor I is provided with a frame 2'containing orsupp'orting a power plant, such as a gasoline engine, and is carried .on front wheels (not shown) and a pair of relatively widely spaced rear traction Wheels 4 fixed to axle shafts 5 that are journaled for rotation in a rear axle structure 6. The tractor I is also provided with a power lift unit I which includes suitable operating mechanism, including a valve operating lever 8, and a rockshaft 9 on which power lift arms, referred to in detail below, are secured for movement between a lowered position and an upper or raised position.

The implement chosen to illustrate the present invention is shown as a spring tooth field cultivator indicated in its entirety by reference numeral 20. The cultivator 20 incorporates a frame I50 which includes right and left hand generally longitudinally extending frame bars, preferably in the form of angles I5I and I52, the rear ends of which are turned upwardly, forming upwardly and rearwardly angled sections to which the crossbars and other parts of the cultivator 20 are 2 connected. The present invention is not concerned with the particular details of the ground working elements of the cultivator 29, since they are old per se.

In the illustrated form of the present invention, the two angle bars I5I and I52 are connected together at their forward ends by a U-shaped angle bar I53, Also connected to the front ends of the frame bars I5I and I52 is a pair of hitch straps I54. The forward ends of the hitch straps are apertured to receive bolts I55 and I56 by which the frame I50 is connected to a pair of fore and aft swingable hitch links I5! and IE8. The upper ends of the links are pivotally connected, as at I59, to a draft bracket structure Itll, preferably comprising a pair of vertical plates IEI detachably connected, as bybolts I63, to the side angles of the tractor frame. The draft brackets I-6I are disposed laterally outwardly at their lower ends,-as indicated at I65, to form convenient connection points by which the front ends of a pair of draft links I61 may be pivotally connected therewith, as by an adjustable swivel I68. By virtue of the forward side of the transverse frame angle I53 contacting the lower portions E65 of the brackets I5I, the frame I58 is prevented from swinging forwardly, far enough to permit the framebar 25-to strike the rear tires of the tractor. The frame I 50 is free to swing rearwardly.

The rear ends of the draft links It? are connected to the front ends of chains HI, and the rear end of each of the chains III is connected to a cam element I12 which forms a part of a rotatable cam'member I mounted for rocking, as at I16, on the associated frame bar. The rear end of the chain III is connected to the cam element IIZ by a pin or the like, as indicated at IT! in Figure'l.

Each of the cam members H5 includes a secondcam element I8I to which the lower end of a chain I82 is'connectedjas' at I83. Each of the chains I82 extends upwardly from the cam member I15 over the roller I84 mounted on the rear end. of an arm I85 which is fixed to the rear end of the power lift rockshaft 9. The forward end of the chain I82 extends underneath the associated rear axle extension and is adjustably engaged with a hook member I81 that is fixed to the forward side of the axle housing at that side of the tractor. Each of the power lift arms I85 is extended forwardly, as at I9I, and is formed with a forward hooked end I92 to which a limit chain I93 is connected, the lower end of the chain I93 being engaged with the hook I87. Preferably, the chain I93 has a sufficient number of additional links so that when engaging any one of a number of links at either end of the chain or the associated hook sections, I81 or I92, the downward movement of the associated power lift arm I85, counterclockwise of that shown in Figure 1, may be limited, as desired.

For stabilizing the cultivator laterally, I have provided a stabilizing mechanism best shown in Figures 2 and 3. Referring now to these figures, the tractor drawbar 2I0 is utilized as a support for a slide bar 2 which at its forward end carries yokes 2I2 to embrace the drawbar 2H]. The member 2II is held in place by a hitch pin 2I3 or the like. A pivoted equalizin lever 2H5 is swingably mounted by a pivot bolt 2II on the rear end of the slide bar 2 I I. Opposite end portions of the lever 2I6 are turned upwardly, as at 2I8, and apertured to receive the inner ends of a pair of stabilizing rods 22I. The inner end of each of the rods 22I is formed with an eye to pivotally interconnect with the upturned portions 2| 8, and the laterally outer ends of the rods 22l are formed with downwardly bent end portions to pivotally connect with apertured clips 223 fixed in any suitable manner to the frame bars I5! and I52.

In operation, when the frame I50 swings upwardly or downwardly relative to the tractor, such movement is accommodated by pivotal movement of the equalizing lever 2H5, yet the rear end of the implement is prevented from shifting laterally relative to the tractor by the lever 2I6 and rods 22I. When it is desired to disconnect the implement, all that it is necessary to do, other than disconnecting the chains I82 and I93, is to disconnect the brackets IBI and then remove the single pin 2I3, which permits the bar 2 to slide rearwardly away from the tractor drawbar 2I0. The engagement of the transverse bar I53 with the lower ends of the brackets IGI serves to prevent the cultivator from swinging forwardly far enough to permit the transverse angles of the cultivator frame to strike the rear tires of the tractor.

In mounting the bell crank or cam members "'5, these units may be disposed either with the draft cam element onthe outer side of the associated frame bar and the lifting cam element on the inner side, or with the draft cam element on the inside of the associated frame bar and the lifting cam element on the outer side, as

shown in Figures 1-3, depending on the distance between the associated draft rods and/or the lifting arms on the tractor power lift unit, or other factor.

, While I have shown and described above the preferred structure in which the principles of the present invention have been incorporated, it is to be understood that my invention is not to be limited to the particular details shown and described above. but that, in fact, widely different means may be employed in the practice of the broader aspects of my invention.

What I claim, therefore, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A farm machine adapted to be connected with a propelling support, comprising ground working tool means adapted to be connected with said support for both fore and aft and generally vertical movement relative to said support, means for transmitting pullin draft from said propelling support to said tool means and accommodating said fore and aft and vertical movement of said tool means relative to said propelling support, a generally centrally disposed stabilizing lever, means for mounting said lever on said propelling support for rocking movement about a generally vertical axis relative to said support, link means extending from opposite ends of said lever laterally to laterally spaced points on said tool means, and means for connecting the inner and outer ends of said link means with said stabilizing lever and said tool means for both horizontal and vertical swinging movement relative thereto so as to prevent lateral movement of said tool means relative to said support but accommodating the aforesaid fore and aft and vertical movement of the tool means relative to said propelling support.

2. In a tractor propelled agricultural implement adapted to be connected with a tractor having a centrally fixed, rearwardly extending drawbar, said implement including frame means having generally fore and aft laterally spaced frame members, the improvement comprising an equalizing lever, means for mounting said lever at its central portion on said tractor drawbar for swinging movement about a generally vertical axis, a pair of links extending from opposite ends of said equalizing lever to said laterally spaced frame members, respectively, for restraining said implement from moving laterally relative to the tractor, and means for pivotally connecting the inner and outer ends of said links with the ends of said lever and said spaced frame members for both horizontal and vertical swinging movement relative thereto.

JOHN H. STARR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNI I 'ED STATES PATENTS 

